Electricity · Prepaid smart meters
Smart meter recharge: how prepaid electricity works and where to top up
Millions of Indian homes are switching from a monthly electricity bill to a prepaid smart meter, which you top up in advance like a mobile phone. The Ministry of Power reported 7.24 crore smart meters installed across the country by 30 June 2026, and nearly all of those sanctioned under the national RDSS scheme are meant to run in prepaid mode. An electricity recharge works differently from paying a bill: the balance falls every day, low-balance alerts warn you, and supply cuts off automatically when credit runs out. This page explains how that works, which discoms take smart meter recharges through Bharat Connect apps such as Subspace, the rules on cut-offs and grace periods, and the rebates some states give prepaid users.
- Smart meters installed
- 7.24 crore (Jun 2026)
- Sanctioned under RDSS
- 20.33 crore
- Prepaid rebate
- Up to 5% (varies by state)
How a prepaid smart meter works
A smart meter records your consumption and sends it to the discom remotely; the 2023 amendment to the Electricity (Rights of Consumers) Rules requires smart meters to be read at least once a day, with the data shared with you. In prepaid mode the discom deducts each day's charges from your balance. APDCL, for example, bills smart prepaid consumers on daily consumption and adjusts the balance daily, and WBSEDCL calculates prepaid consumption at midnight each day.
The Ministry of Power lists what prepaid meters should give consumers: small recharges whenever you like, advance alerts as the balance and emergency credit run down, and emergency credit in the meter to avoid an abrupt disconnection at zero. When the credit is fully used, the meter cuts supply automatically. The Consumer Rules say this isn't treated as a disconnection: supply comes back as soon as you recharge. If you need a bill for your records, the Rules let prepaid consumers ask for one.
Where you can recharge through Bharat Connect
Bharat Connect (formerly BBPS) lists discom smart prepaid billers under the Electricity category. Its separate Prepaid Meter category mostly holds housing societies and RWAs that run their own sub-meters. These discom prepaid billers were listed in the Bharat Connect biller directory when we checked:
| Discom / area | Biller name in BBPS apps |
|---|---|
| Assam (APDCL) | Assam Power Distribution Company Ltd – Smart Prepaid Recharge |
| Delhi (BRPL) | BSES Rajdhani Prepaid Meter Recharge |
| Delhi (BYPL) | BSES Yamuna Prepaid Meter Recharge |
| Uttar Pradesh (UPPCL discoms) | UPPCL-Postpaid and Smart Prepaid Meter Recharge; UPPCL CTS Prepaid Meter (GENUS) |
| Uttarakhand (UPCL) | Uttarakhand Power Corporation Limited – Smart Prepaid Recharge |
| Meghalaya (MePDCL) | MePDCL Smart Prepaid Meter Recharge |
| Jharkhand (JBVNL) | Jharkhand Bijli Vitran Nigam Limited – Prepaid Meter Recharge |
| Odisha (TPSODL / TPWODL) | TP Southern/Western Odisha Distribution Ltd – Smart Prepaid Meter Recharge |
| Arunachal Pradesh | Department of Power, Govt of Arunachal Pradesh – Prepaid |
Cut-off times, grace periods and alerts
There's no single national rule on when a prepaid meter may cut supply; the details are set by each state regulator or discom. Some examples from official orders and notices:
- Madhya Pradesh: MPERC's practice directions give a 3-day grace period at zero or negative balance (longer if the next day is a public holiday), and the meter may cut supply only between 10 am and 2 pm, after alerts by SMS, app or WhatsApp.
- West Bengal: WBSEDCL's prepaid roll-out plan says there's no disconnection on Saturdays, Sundays and holidays.
- Assam: APDCL doesn't disconnect for 72 hours after a connection is converted from postpaid to prepaid.
The practical advice is the same everywhere: keep a few days' consumption as balance, act on the first low-balance alert, and don't wait for the weekend if your state doesn't protect weekends.
Rebates for prepaid consumers
The Ministry of Power encourages discoms to reward prepaid meters with a rebate, and several state tariff orders now do. The size and the base it’s calculated on differ a lot:
| State / discom | Prepaid rebate | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Haryana (UHBVN, DHBVN) | 5% on fixed and energy charges | HERC prepaid metering regulations |
| Odisha (TPNODL etc.) | 4% on the prepaid amount | OERC FY 2026-27 |
| West Bengal (WBSEDCL, CESC) | 3% on energy charge | WBERC 2025-26 orders |
| Uttar Pradesh (UPPCL discoms) | 2% on the rate | UPERC FY 2026-27 |
| Mumbai (Adani Electricity) | 2% on energy charge incl. fuel adjustment | MERC MYT order |
| Chhattisgarh (CSPDCL) | 1% on energy charge | CSERC FY 2026-27 |
| Manipur (MSPDCL) | 1% on the tariff | MnERC FY 2026-27 |
| Madhya Pradesh | 25 paise a unit on energy charge | MPERC FY 2026-27 |
| Bihar (NBPDCL, SBPDCL) | 25 paise a unit on energy charge | BERC FY 2026-27 |
How fast smart meters are spreading
Under the Revamped Distribution Sector Scheme (RDSS), 20.33 crore smart meters have been sanctioned, of which 19.79 crore are consumer meters. The Ministry of Power told Parliament in July 2026 that 5.73 crore had been installed under RDSS by 30 June 2026, and 7.24 crore across all schemes. Six months earlier the all-scheme figure was 5.28 crore. The Ministry has said 97% of the meters sanctioned under RDSS are to work in prepaid mode, so more homes will be recharging rather than paying bills.
Ministry of Power: Rajya Sabha Unstarred Q.943 (27 Jul 2026) and PIB release (2 Feb 2026).
| Sanctioned under RDSS | 20.3 |
|---|---|
| Installed, all schemes (31 Dec 2025) | 5.3 |
| Installed, all schemes (30 Jun 2026) | 7.2 |
| Installed under RDSS (30 Jun 2026) | 5.7 |
Recharge a smart meter on Subspace
If your discom’s prepaid biller is on Bharat Connect, you can top up from Subspace in the same place you pay other bills.
- 1Open Subspace and go to Electricity.
- 2Search for your discom’s prepaid biller by name, for example “BSES Rajdhani Prepaid Meter Recharge”.
- 3Enter the consumer or meter number the biller asks for (some ask for an extra code printed on your meter card).
- 4Enter the recharge amount and pay by UPI.
- 5If the biller returns a token, key it into the meter; otherwise the balance updates remotely.
Frequently asked questions
What is an electricity recharge?
It is a top-up of the prepaid balance on a smart or prepaid electricity meter. The discom deducts your consumption from that balance, usually daily, instead of sending a monthly bill.
Will my power be cut when the balance reaches zero?
The meter cuts supply automatically once the credit, including any emergency credit, is used up. Under the Consumer Rules this isn’t a disconnection, and supply resumes when you recharge. Some states add grace periods or limit cut-off hours.
Can I recharge a smart meter through a UPI app?
Yes, if your discom’s prepaid biller is on Bharat Connect. APDCL, BSES, UPPCL, UPCL, MePDCL, JBVNL, TP Southern and Western Odisha and Arunachal Pradesh list prepaid billers. Others, such as MSPDCL, take prepaid recharges on their own sites.
Do prepaid meter users get a discount?
In many states, yes. Current tariff orders give 5% in Haryana, 4% in Odisha, 3% in West Bengal, 2% in UP, 1% in Chhattisgarh and Manipur, and 25 paise a unit in MP and Bihar.
How do I check my smart meter balance?
Use your discom’s smart meter portal or app; for example, APDCL has a Smart Prepaid Balance page on apdcl.org and UGVCL has a smart meter portal. Low-balance alerts also arrive by SMS or app.
What is the Prepaid Meter category in Bharat Connect?
It mostly covers housing societies and residents’ associations that sub-meter electricity inside a complex. Discom smart prepaid billers are listed under Electricity.
Pay on the web
How prepaid smart meter recharge works in India: daily balance deduction, cut-off and grace rules, which discoms take recharges on Bharat Connect, and state rebates.
Scan to get the Subspace app
Related
- Bill paymentsAPDCL bill payment and smart prepaid recharge on Subspace
- Bill paymentsPay your BSES Rajdhani or BSES Yamuna bill on Subspace
- Bill paymentsPay your PVVNL electricity bill on Subspace
- Bill paymentsNorth Bihar bijli bill: pay your NBPDCL bill on Subspace
- Bill paymentsChoosing a mobile recharge app that gets the basics right
Facts on this page were last checked on 2026-10-12. Prices and plans change; the final amount shows before you pay.